Thomas L. Friedman

MrMerkinball
MrMerkinball Posts: 1,978
edited March 2010 in A Moving Train
I read "The World is Flat" a few years ago. It was very good.

I am in the middle of "Hot, Flat and Crowded" right now. It is facsinating. I definately recommend it
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • CJMST3K
    CJMST3K Posts: 9,722
    do they need to be read in order?
    ADD 5,200 to the post count you see, thank you. :)
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  • blackredyellow
    blackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    I read Longitudes and Attitudes a handful of years ago, and it left an impression on me.

    I really do need to read his other books.
    My whole life
    was like a picture
    of a sunny day
    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • FiveB247x
    FiveB247x Posts: 2,330
    I'm not a fan of Friedman... in my opinion he and his philosophy basically overlook the downsides of globalization and meddling in foreign affairs in order to merely prop up economic status, which in most developing nations is merely either temporary or in many instances, out of balance. To sum it up in simpler terms, everyone is doing better now as a whole compared to before, so things are working ok. This notion is perhaps true on a grand-scale, but doesn't take into account things like social and health conditions in the world as well as distribution of wealth in societies or even the political ramifications of globalization, which are many.
    CONservative governMENt

    Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
  • MrMerkinball
    MrMerkinball Posts: 1,978
    CJMST3K wrote:
    do they need to be read in order?
    No - but it does help
  • MrMerkinball
    MrMerkinball Posts: 1,978
    FiveB247x wrote:
    I'm not a fan of Friedman... in my opinion he and his philosophy basically overlook the downsides of globalization and meddling in foreign affairs in order to merely prop up economic status, which in most developing nations is merely either temporary or in many instances, out of balance. To sum it up in simpler terms, everyone is doing better now as a whole compared to before, so things are working ok. This notion is perhaps true on a grand-scale, but doesn't take into account things like social and health conditions in the world as well as distribution of wealth in societies or even the political ramifications of globalization, which are many.
    What I find the most interesting, is that he is able to answer the simple question: "How did it get this way". He takes decisions (for good or bad) made by politicians, business etc from decades or years in the past, and what effect they are having on us today, as a global community.

    Examples:
    Sputnik created the Internet
    Regan roling back the Mandatory Fuel Economy for new cars in the 80's, created the US dependency on foriegn oil today.
  • FiveB247x
    FiveB247x Posts: 2,330
    Yes all that chronology is informative, but to me, his assumption and thesis is very skewed and that is the part he really harps and tries to make a point of. It amounts to nothing more than new age lingo for "a rising tide lifts all ships".
    MrMerkinball wrote:
    What I find the most interesting, is that he is able to answer the simple question: "How did it get this way". He takes decisions (for good or bad) made by politicians, business etc from decades or years in the past, and what effect they are having on us today, as a global community.

    Examples:
    Sputnik created the Internet
    Regan roling back the Mandatory Fuel Economy for new cars in the 80's, created the US dependency on foriegn oil today.
    CONservative governMENt

    Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
  • musicismylife78
    musicismylife78 Posts: 6,116
    what i find interesting about him, is reguardless of my views on his ideas and theories, he is often painted as a left wing columnist, when he is centrist if anything.
  • FiveB247x
    FiveB247x Posts: 2,330
    Many have labeled him as left wing of recent because of his out of blue stance on the environment. The rest and vast amount of his views are pretty much right or at best center in some minor examples.
    musicismylife78 wrote:
    what i find interesting about him, is reguardless of my views on his ideas and theories, he is often painted as a left wing columnist, when he is centrist if anything.
    CONservative governMENt

    Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
  • he still stands
    he still stands Posts: 2,835
    FiveB247x wrote:
    I'm not a fan of Friedman... in my opinion he and his philosophy basically overlook the downsides of globalization and meddling in foreign affairs in order to merely prop up economic status, which in most developing nations is merely either temporary or in many instances, out of balance. To sum it up in simpler terms, everyone is doing better now as a whole compared to before, so things are working ok. This notion is perhaps true on a grand-scale, but doesn't take into account things like social and health conditions in the world as well as distribution of wealth in societies or even the political ramifications of globalization, which are many.

    I'm not a fan, either. Arguing for a specific model of globalization/economics because "we are better off now as a whole compared to before" is fairly retarded. That is the same argument chattel slave owners used against freeing of their slaves. And like you said, the factors used to evaluate prosperity are incomplete, totally disregarding things like psychological well-being, obesity, stupidity, apathy, and equality of wealth. People used to know they were getting fucked, now they think that since the government allows them to eat at Ruby Tuesday's, TGIF, or Buttfuckers on friday nights and order $20 chicken tenders that they have it made because 30 years ago there was only a local diner in town.
    MrMerkinball wrote:
    What I find the most interesting, is that he is able to answer the simple question: "How did it get this way". He takes decisions (for good or bad) made by politicians, business etc from decades or years in the past, and what effect they are having on us today, as a global community.

    Examples:
    Sputnik created the Internet
    Regan roling back the Mandatory Fuel Economy for new cars in the 80's, created the US dependency on foriegn oil today.

    Anyone who claims that there is a single cause for any effect is ignorant. People have this silly notion of causality that it is very simple because they have a very simple notion of how mathematics work. There are thousands, millions, probably billions and trillions of independent factors that cause any event to happen, most of it is random chance. The world is incredibly chaotic and these simple notions such as "sputnik = internet" are overly simplistic and nothing more than a good story for malleable-brained politicos. Saying "Al Gore = internet" is just as relevant. The much more convincing argument is that "LSD = internet," since the first ideas of WHY IT IS IMPORTANT to make the collective unconscious CONSCIOUS were formed during when brainiacs in the 60s changed their brain chemistry. But then again, it is not true, just a theory and 999/1000 theories are easily disproved with an honest look at the flaws and an unemotional and detached passion for the best model available, something I don't think Friedman does very well, or at all. Boo.
    Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
  • FiveB247x
    FiveB247x Posts: 2,330
    I think Friedman's examples are mere rough estimates on where things began or their roots, not necessarily to be taken as exact. I liken it to learning history in elementary school - you learn a rough outline of things, but there's a whole lot left out or disregarded just to give a rough estimate of a topic or issue.
    he still stands wrote:
    Anyone who claims that there is a single cause for any effect is ignorant. People have this silly notion of causality that it is very simple because they have a very simple notion of how mathematics work. There are thousands, millions, probably billions and trillions of independent factors that cause any event to happen, most of it is random chance. The world is incredibly chaotic and these simple notions such as "sputnik = internet" are overly simplistic and nothing more than a good story for malleable-brained politicos. Saying "Al Gore = internet" is just as relevant. The much more convincing argument is that "LSD = internet," since the first ideas of WHY IT IS IMPORTANT to make the collective unconscious CONSCIOUS were formed during when brainiacs in the 60s changed their brain chemistry. But then again, it is not true, just a theory and 999/1000 theories are easily disproved with an honest look at the flaws and an unemotional and detached passion for the best model available, something I don't think Friedman does very well, or at all. Boo.
    CONservative governMENt

    Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis
  • fuck
    fuck Posts: 4,069
    The guy is an idiot. He has such a backwards stance and he's racist.
  • yosi
    yosi NYC Posts: 3,167
    He's a racist? Seriously?
    you couldn't swing if you were hangin' from a palm tree in a hurricane

  • fuck
    fuck Posts: 4,069
    yosi wrote:
    He's a racist? Seriously?
    Well I wouldn't expect you to agree. Like yourself, he is a well-known defender of Israeli massacres.
  • FiveB247x
    FiveB247x Posts: 2,330
    Having an opinion in one direction or another regarding the Israel/Palestine issue does not make a person a racist. Saying you hate all Jews or all Arabs would make someone a racist, and Friedman has never said anything of the sort.
    _outlaw wrote:
    yosi wrote:
    He's a racist? Seriously?
    Well I wouldn't expect you to agree. Like yourself, he is a well-known defender of Israeli massacres.
    CONservative governMENt

    Our government is the potent, the omnipresent teacher. For good or for ill, it teaches the whole people by its example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - Louis Brandeis

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